The Rebellion
by xohikaru
Summary: Ash is taking a short vacation in Kanto before going to Kalos. When he arrives he is instantly met with all his closet friends. When mysterious attacks are made around the world, Ash and friends are once again the only ones who can save the world. Ash also finds himself becoming unusually interested in his oldest friend, Gary. (This is AshxGary, Palletshipping)


**Disclaimer: I Don't Own Anything**

**Chapter One: Ash's POV**

"Pika!" Pikachu cries, nuzzling my cheek beside me on my bed, trying to awake me from my sleep.

I turn over, burying my face into the pillow,"Pikachu, leave me alone I'm tired!"

Once again Pikachu begins nuzzling me, this time I choose to ignore it.

"PIIKA!"

I jump up as I'm struck by a small, but effective, ThunderShock. I turn to glare at Pikachu, who just beams at me with his little mouth.

"Geez, I would have gotten up eventually you know!" I say, standing up to stretch.

Without answering Pikachu runs over to our ship cabin's window. I follow him and look over his shoulder to find that land was within sight.

Suddenly I feel a bit more excited to be awake, we were so close to Vermilion City. It felt like it had been decades ago since I'd last been in my home region, even though in reality it'd been only a little over a year.

Pikachu was also excited, and couldn't stop staring through the window at the land where both of us were born.

It's one thing to go on adventures in faraway places, but it's always nice to return home. Home makes you feel grounded, and connected. When you're far away from your home, sometimes you can tend to get caught up in your travels. This was why I tried keep in contact with my roots as often as possible, no matter how far I get, I can't ever forget who helped me get to whatever point I was at.

Of course, there was one person I tried to stay connected with that refused to ever take my calls.

Quickly, I push those thoughts out. I'd long since decided that it was what is was.

Instead I walk over to the small desk in my cabin that held my back pack and a few stray items. I find my tooth brush and tooth brush and head to the bathroom.

"I'm taking a shower." I call to Pikachu, who just gives me a quick nod before turning back to the window. I knew he was excited, but this was starting to seem a bit obsessive.

Shrugging it off, I turn on the sink and brush my teeth before stripping and getting into the shower. I turn the knob to hot, I loved the feeling of steaming hot water cascading down my body.

After I wash I turn the knob back to off. Plucking a pure white towel from the rack I dry off a little before wrapping it around my waist and returning to the desk.

It's summer in Kanto, so I had packed a pair of khaki shorts and a plain black teeshirt for my arrival. My traveling clothes would be a bit too warm for this climate.

Thinking of the climate differences really made me think about what is left behind. Unova had so far been the hardest region to depart from. I had considered sending my Pokemon from there to Professor Oak, but Professor Juniper insisted I let them stay in Unova at her lab. So not only was I leaving behind friends, but Pokemon. Pokemon were my friends too, but I never had to actually leave any behind to this extent.

Sighing, I get dressed and plop down on a green cushioned armchair.

Pikachu, who I assumed felt my sadness, bounded over to me from the window and jumped into my lap.

"It kind of sucks leaving behind Pokemon..." I say as I gently rub Pikachu's head, earning a content sigh from him.

Ding, Ding, Ding

I look up, only to realize the noise had come from the intercom on the ceiling.

"All passengers are to bring their belongings to the main deck. We will very shortly be arriving at your destination in Vermilion City. Thank you for choosing Premiere Cruise Lines. Have a wonderful day!" The captains gruff voice says through the intercom.

Pikachu jumps back down from my lap as I stand up and stuff all the scattered items into my backpack. I throw it over my should and place my red cap on my head.

Pikachu leads the way out the room and through the halls until we finally reach the main deck.

From here we can see Vermilion's Port, causing my to smile uncontrollably.

"Excited to be home?" A man asks from beside me.

I nod,"Yes sir, it's been forever."

He chuckles and pays my back before walking away. I never got a good look at him, but I could tell he was old, very old.

After what seemed like hours the ship finally stopped and passengers were allowed to get off.

As I take my first step onto the dock, I shout in joy earning a few strange looks. This didn't bother me, but my face went a dark red nonetheless.

"Well Ashy Boy, that was quite the entrance."

My jaw drops as my mind hears his voice. There was no mistaking, I knew that voice was him.

Sure enough, standing before me was THE Gary Oak.

He was wearing a purple tank top and some khaki shorts like mine. His hair still hasn't changed, his brown spiked hair still stood tall. Of course, we were a bit older now and he had let a bit of stubble invade his once smooth face. It wasn't a bad look for him, just unexpected as he was usually so pristine when it came to how he looked.

The smirk on his face had also remained unchanged, and his bright emerald colored eyes bore deep into mine. I was speechless. Not really knowing what to think about him being here.

He had been the one to ignore me for so long, why would he be waiting here for my return to Kanto?

He snaps his fingers in my face and rolls his eyes,"Geez, hello to you too. Is anyone in there?"

I furrow my brows, frowning.

"Gary, I'm just a little confused as to why you're even here! You never answered my phone calls or letters or anything!" I shout, feeling beyond pissed at his ever so condescending attitude.

He just laughs at my outburst,"The way you talk you'd think you were my girlfriend or something. I was just busy in Sinnoh with my research."

"Whatever." I mutter, before pushing past him and walking toward the street.

"Wait!" He calls, running after me.

From the side of my eyes I can see the outline of his figure, but I refuse to look. Whether I liked it or not, it hurt me that he hadn't responded to my attempts to communicate. It really pissed me off too, especially now that he had openly admitted to knowing about these attempts.

He sighs and grabs my shoulders to turn my body to face him.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't answer your calls. Don't be such a baby about it!" He says.

I roll my eyes. I had almost gotten and actual apology from him but he just had to ruin it with his constant sarcasm.

I too sigh,"Whatever Gary. Are we walking home?"

He grins and shakes his head no,"I called a cab. They're waiting down the street."

I nod and let him lead the way. I see a yellow car parked on the side of the street and assume that was our ride.

That's when I remember I don't have any more money on me. I make an abrupt stop, making Pikachu cry out in surprise, and Gary turns to me with raised eyebrows.

"What is it?" He asks.

"I don't have money!"

Gary groans and runs a hand down his face,"Oh whatever will we do? Seriously Ash! Obviously I had thought ahead and known an idiot like you wouldn't carry money on him. I'm obviously going to pay."

"Oh.." I mumble, scratching the back of my capped head embarrassed.

Gary opens the taxi door and slides in. I take off my back pack and place it on my lap as I too slide in. Pikachu comes down from shoulder to sit upon the backpack.

"Where to?" The driver asks, sounding bored.

"Pallet Town." Gary says, looking out the window. I took this opportunity to notice how sharp and defined his jawline was. He also wasn't as skinny as he used to be. Although he was still slim, I could make out the outlines of muscles beneath his shirt and on his arms. He seemed to have matured a lot during our time apart, well except for his attitude towards me. That probably wouldn't ever change, not that it bothered me. He gave me the motivation to work harder to maybe catch up with him one day.

He probably felt me looking at him because he looked at me, again with raised eyebrows. His eyes sparked a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I jerk my head in the other direction, to look out my own window. When he looked into my eyes like that I felt like he was able to see my every thought. Not to mention the feeling in my stomach it had caused.

It's needless to say that I didn't look away from my window the rest of the trip.

/\/\

As I had expected, the ride home was completely silent and terribly uncomfortable. Pikachu was even quiet, sleeping in my lap oblivious to the awkwardness in the air of the cab.

My spirits lifted a little when the small cluster of buildings named Pallet Town came into view. I was finally going to be free from this god forsaken cab!

"We're almost there." Gary observed.

I nod, not caring if he saw or not. His attitude was annoying and if I could avoid it, I would.

I lightly shake Pikachu awake. With just one sniff of the air he immediately knew we were home. There were vast differences between the air here and the air in Unova. Kanto was one of the less urban regions, although it was slowly catching up. I could tell just by how much Vermilion had grown since my last visit. The traffic was horrible as well, which is a sure sign of population growth because when I first started my journey it was rare to even see a car. The car drivers weren't trainers though, we often can't afford the costs of a vehicle since we need food and other necessities for our travels. Traveling by foot was by far a more efficient way for trainers anyway as we needed to get battling experience for our Pokemon.

As the cab comes to a stop I see that it's parked in front of my house. It had remained unchanged, at least on the outside, since my last visit. This comforted me somehow. Even from the cab I could see Mr. Mime watering my mother's, or should I say his since he tends to it much more than she does, garden.

Gary pays the driver and we both open out doors. I hear the cab drive off behind me and my heart races as I push open the front gate and step foot into the yard.

Mr. Mime hears and looks up from his watering,"Mime! MI-MIME!" He cries out jumping excitedly before rushing over to embrace me.

I hug my mother's Pokemon back,"Mr. Mime! It's great to see you too!"

"Pika!" Pikachu cries, most likely agreeing with me.

Mr. Mime grabs my arm and drags me through the front door to the living room where Mom is sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee. Her auburn hair is up in a neat pony tail. She still showed no sign of aging, which made me happy. I was dreading the day I wouldn't have my mother around anymore.

"Hey mom!" I say, she jumps as if surprised to see me and runs over to me. She grips me in a tight hug and showers me with kisses all over my face.

I laugh at her excitement and when she finally lets me go she takes a step back and closely examines me. She beams happily at me and claps her hands together,"You've grown a lot!"

I rub my arm,"Not really, I'm still only 5'4. And I don't really get any facial hair."

Mom just smiles,"Well, there's nothing wrong with being short and hairless! Anyway, I hope you're hungry because it's almost time for dinner."

I glance at the clock on the wall, it was nearly 6:30. The ride here must have taken forever.

As if noticing him for the first time, Mom turns to Gary with a warm smile on her face.

"Thanks for picking him up dear, you really didn't have to." She says.

Gary shrugs nonchalantly,"No problem." With that he turns to leave but my mom stops him.

"Why don't you stay for dinner tonight?"

He shakes his head,"No I should probably get home to Gramps. He probably wants my help at the lab."

Mom nods,"Ok, feel free to stop by anytime!"

With that Gary turned and left. I try to push back the annoyance that he hadn't even said any kind of farewell to me. Why should I care?

Dinner that night was delicious as always. I had a lot of friends who were excellent at cooking, but my mom really took the cake.

Then all too soon it was past mid-night and I bid my mother good night.

As I laid in bed I couldn't stop my thoughts from wondering to Gary. What was he doing? Was he thinking of me?

Normally these thoughts would be considered strange, perhaps even gay, but I tried not to focus on that. Somehow, even right after he left, I felt like I was alone. Deep down I knew I wasn't alone, but having him around, even for a short time, made me realize how much I missed his constantly bad attitude and sarcasm.

I had missed him. Which honestly wasn't new information as I had called and written to him countless times, but now I knew why I missed him.


End file.
